Moro blames doctors, bankers, teachers, others for stampede

Interior Minister, Abba Moro has blamed last Saturday’s stampede at the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment centres across the nation on doctors, nurses, bankers, teachers and others in paid employment.

According to him, these already employed individuals thronged the various recruitment centres in their numbers.

No fewer than 19 applicants, including four expectant women, died in the stampede. Many others were injured.

Moro said though these categories of persons never applied for jobs with the NIS, they gate-crashed into the venues of the recruitment, with the hope of getting foreign postings and being pensionable if employed by the NIS.

Moro’s aide, Mallam Salisu Dantata Muhammed, who spoke on behalf of his boss in Abuja yesterday, said contrary to reports, the ministry put in place logistics to contain crowds at the centres.

He also blamed the social media for the stampede, saying that many of the applicants were inviting friends and relatives who did not apply for the job to the centres through Facebook, text messages and other portals.

Muhammed said: “It’s odd that many of those who turned up included employed bankers, engineers, medical doctors, nurses, teachers and others who wanted to cross over to the Immigration Services at all costs.

“The Minister and officials of his ministry considered last Saturday’s incident as very regrettable, more so as the unexpected huge crowd shattered the near perfect arrangements they had put in place against anticipated huge crowd.

“The Interior Ministry made adequate provisions for the expected mammoth crowd at the National Stadium meant to conveniently sit 75,000 people.

More than 45 percent of those who eventually turned up were not supposed to be at the centres.

“About 520,000 applied for the recruitment exercise across the federation. For instance, we had in our record that applicants totalling 68,000 were to be at the Abuja Stadium. But at the end, nearly 70 percent of non-applicants forced their way into the stadium.

“Apart from the committees that planned the exercise ahead, we had security personnel drawn from the Immigration, Civil Defence, Prisons, Fire Services and others to complement the Police. We made adequate preparations.

“But they overpowered the security personnel. Many of them got impatient and very desperate to get attention, and in the process, they began to climb and jump across impossible places in order to gain access to the stadium. That was the beginning of the stampede.

“The crowd got more desperate when they learnt that they could get foreign service postings and then become pensionable. So doctors, nurses, teachers, engineer, and all manners of people who had paid jobs turned up and increased our dilemma.”

The minister’s aide said the scathing criticisms that greeted the stampede were uncalled for, arguing that the critics did not bother to find out what caused the stampede.

According to him, the minister and top officials of the ministry have gone into special intercessory prayers, specifically for the applicants who died.

This Moro must be a fool !!! Proper planning dictates that there must have been a unique number or ticket or something issued online which can be printed out to distinguish GENUINE APPLICANTS from anyone else on test day. And this unique identification will form the basis for admittance into the test venue.
But I don’t blame the MORON, he is still on the job and so he can blame everybody else for the deaths.
GEJ suspends Sanusi pending investigation on unproved allegations by FRCN but interior minister, Moron is still on the job despite 19 deaths resulting from an obviously shoddy recruitment (or fundraising) process.

Abdullahi Aliyu

Sanusi came from the wrong side of the divide

Jutie_2gee

Well it is apparent that no proper plans were made to counter gate crash. Most persons occupying certain positions are not trained for the job neither do they get on the job training and re-training. Those who are opportuned to go for training are concerned about what allowances they get and may not implement what they learnt if at all they did learn anything. The result is relying on out of time and crude ways in doing things. Where on earth has recruitment turned sporting activity. As for the prayers, it should have come before the event to ensure its success. We should be proactive.

nnaemedotsam

You promised them foreign service posting?what abt the old and former workers who deserves to be transferred abroad if there is need for it? Well,this sounds nothing than “scam”

Jumpingbrook

This Minister is just a fool.

Taiken

We shouldn’t blame moro 4 conducting this particuler exercise,he exposed d number of unemployement physically to our government,if other government agency is doing d same the story of unemployement will not be like dis,why we can blame moro is mistake he made,he suppose to zone dis NIS recruitment exercise,government should pls provide enough job 4 those who apply.

Usman

These people are clowns. They are confused as well.

StephenOgbu

trash

Abbey

How can you have that much people invited for interview in one day? It would have been modest to have them in batches, better still, use what ever criteria to streamline the applications to manageable interview invites. OR was it just a make-look-true and chop chop exercise as those in powers at all level has slots allocated to them regardless of thousands physically present at the unfortunate interviews? How honourable are the honourable ministers? I weep for our country.

qyntlynkxz

Yeye Minister. So what if I want to leave my banking job for immigration? He should cook up another story for the stampede joh.

Excuses, just trying to explain ur failure. You simply lacked planing and good management

Akanbi Olusegun Ademola

It is better for the minister (Mr. Moro), to remain silent than to be committing more blunders with his statements that lack truth.

Udo Akwa Ibom

The Minister has blamed the tragic event caused by the poorly organised NIS recruitment exercise on Doctors, Bankers, Nurses, Teachers, Engineers etc. This is a clear indication of his level of irresposibility and callousness. He has failed to take responsibility as a Minister. His time is up, the sooner he is relieved of the office the better. Serious matters should not be in the hands of drunkards and clowns.

Oracle

This is totally unacceptable for a minister of FRN to come up with such a baseless defence. Moro lacks all it takes to be a good leader and should honourably vacate that office. Enough is Enough!

trutalk

This guy is wicked sha, whether doctors and lawyers applied for the job is not our business. Because at that point they were no longer bankers but job seekers under your ministry. And as long as you collected money from them, they became your responsibility. So it’s an insult to have you breathe the same air with us. Yes! You don’t deserve to have the breath of life.

Pete

Read what he’s saying again before you abuse him.
Many of those who attended WERE NOT INVITED.
They are gainfully employed people who want government jobs and heard about it from there friends through the social media.
So the ranks were swelled beyond the organiser’s expectations.
We should learn to crucify after listening to all sides!

Tman

You are as dumb as this MORON. On what fact is Mr. Moron staging his premises. As long as those people applied, whether they are ex this or that doesn’t matter. They are applicants. Simple.

trutalk

Then why did he collect money from them? He would have simply said ‘please go with your money, we don’t want the exam venues overcrowded by working class’. And I believe they stopped selling forms like one week to the exam. So this guy shouldn’t shift blames at all.

OSUNDO EMEKA

“Drs, nurses, Bankes”??? What is supposed to be the role of the Board? Why inviting over a million applcations to fill only 4500 slots and collecting N1ooo each from over a million desparate applicants, thus exthorting them of over a Billion Naira.
Now that Government has canceeled the recruitment, what becomes of the dubious deposit?

Pete

While it’s true that the organisers of the recruitment did a very poor and shoddy job of it, it’s very true that a large chunk of people who went there had paid employment.
Most bankers are unhappy with their jobs and feel insecure. So they want government jobs.
Most staff of my bank branch in Kaduna went for the test uninvited thereby swelling the crowds.

David

This is very shameful MR moro what were You thinking when u opened Your mouth to give this silly flimsy excuse when You organizing did You not know the 1, capacity of the stadium 2 the number of candidates you were expecting 3 did You not think of a way to identify genuine applicants 4 what security arrangement did You make You should be ashamed of Your self.

Isoken

What kind of precaution did u make? I think people should take clues from NLNG and other notable companies in Nigeria who go all out to ensure that the care of every applicants invited are their sole responsibility. When they organize interviews, a canopy with comfortable chairs are provided to ensure that the applicants are not left to the mercy of the sun, rains etc. They provide medical supports with paramedics on ground to ensure that prompt prevention of causes of emergencies are avoided or tackled and care is giving to all as the need arises.
Are we not all human beings? Let us learn to do the RIGHT THING and STOP rationalizing when things go wrong.
DO THE RIGHT THING PEOPLE.

Agom

Abba Moro,you should have invited 10,000 people instead 565,000 for the vacancies that is just 4,5000.that planning was very poor.please lean from your mistake.

oniroyin

How did Moro and his minions know that uninvited persons crashed the site? Did they take a roll call? When did they verify the identities of those who showed up?

This kind of infantile reasoning just compounds the crime.

Ijele Elder.

This so called minister is a monster. His aid who said doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers etc gatecrashed is a moron. A moron is a person with metal retardatn, or very stupid person. The words of these morons are so offensive. They seem to be disguised agents of Boko Haram. If GEJ leaves these sadists in office, posterity will count against him.

sendoff

Holy Smokes, Salisu Dantata Mohammed, from which hole did you just crawl out. It was the fault of engineers, doctors, nurses, bricklayers etc. and no one should criticise you and your boss Mr Moro. Only in Nigeria would Moro still be hanging on in office to be dishing out idiotic excuses for what obviously is the clear disdain, lack of regard and respect that the elite reserve for ordinary people. How do you possibly interview 1,000 people in one day not to talk of 750,000, and yet, you think you made adequate preparations? Moro has never heard of a staggered selection exercise, or was he simply trying to justify all righteousness having pre-selected the successful candidates after pocketing the cash all of them paid; which by the way is immoral in the extreme. It’s like a billionaire stealing the coins in a beggar’s pan.

MUkintu

Our leaders are very irresponsible. Imagine the minister blaming Doctors , Bankers and Teachers for the mayhem which was under his watch. When shall we grow up?

Momoh Abdul-Razaq McSionel

When officials of governmental parastatals lie openly to the world over very glaring issues,it amounts to sheer connivance by the government of the day. Dishing out jobs to victim’s relatives or the survivors can not and will not placate Nigerians. In saner climes, Moro would have tendered his resignation by now,but instead of his resignation,some nobody comes to blame doctors,bankers,teachers etc for their poverty in reasonable planning.Since when has it become a crime to change or switch jobs or seek for greener pastures within his country?

Leeman

I’m sure mr Moro must have smoked Moro if not he won’t say such in his right senses.

Efeturi Ojakaminor

It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought stupid than to open it and remove every doubt. – Mark Twain

Alive

Interesting to note that this guy has blamed everything and every one for the stampede but himself. A good leader accepts responsibility.

Tman

Whao!! what a defense. I am now convince why the Presidency is so lackluster. Bunch of incompetent persons.

The voice

I think it’s time govt hands up on
giving out projects directly. This is the root of all the corruption
wahala. Because of the way the ‘Ogas at the top are misbehaving, those in lower
cadre had joined the trend. That’s why we have missing files everywhere.
Transcripts will suddenly disappear until the poor student is forced to part
with his allowance, if any. That’s why even a councilor in Nigeria will use
siren to send out people away from the road because he is taking his dog to a
Vet. Doctor. I believe if all those things that push people to want power by
all means is taking away from them. we can truly see those who are real
servants. See the mess at the National Confab, people like Clark who has houses
in Abuja collecting N4m monthly and are still asking govt to pay their PA and
co. Only two out of the close to 500 delegates have publicly rejected the
allowance and you see, these people are not even representing any of reps from
both the Muslim and the Christian group. One thing is clear, until the Lord
deals with our heart, we will be far from getting it right.